Yesterday on my afternoon walk I was listening to a podcast episode with a famous writer talking to a well known podcaster and author. They are both media-makers who get paid for clicks and impressions, but they deal in ideas. They are very well respected, smart, successful and, because they’ve been doing their media-making so long, wise. They are good examples of what current “thought leaders” look like and how they work.
The episode is a couple hours long. They made some great points about leadership, management, growth and professional development, and how to stay fully engaged. The principles they shared sounded relevant. But, both of them sound a little burned out and – maybe this is me being a little cynical – not 100% committed to their own ideas.
Despite all that, I loved it and may even listen again.
This is just one podcast episode among millions. There are thousands of other thinkers that are in our queues, ready to share some ideas from their TED talks, or their courses, or their mastermind sessions, or their book. 1 month from now, no one will remember these 120 minutes.
It’s a classic good news/bad news scenario:
The good news: We’re in a golden age of self-help and advice and personal growth. Ideas and approaches have never been so readily available. There have never been more perspectives and unique voices. Episodes like these offer a helpful dose of thinking and the advice given is usually practical and actionable. I’ve rarely come across thinking that’s demonstrably “bad”. Almost is in the “good, but not great” category of thinking. It’s “content”, a stimulating conversation that, on a good day, pushes my thinking a bit.
The bad news: It’s only “pretty good” advice, overall. These hosts are giving the people what they want, but the business needs them to tune in next week, too. The content is designed to have a short shelf-life. The editorial agenda is driven by the business model: clicks, sponsorship, ads, selling classes, etc. I wonder how much of the audience is turning to podcast episodes instead of time-tested, enduring ideas. Is “pop” management advice taking the place of “classic” thinking?
As I look to 2025 and beyond, as AI generated slop meets media-hustling content overload, I’m looking for something solid to turn to. I feel pulled towards the classics.
That’s why I’m spending more time reading history books, literature from the last two hundred years, and going back to some of the core philosophical works. I’m seeking the ideas and wisdom from earlier eras because i don’t think much of the advice i’m hearing these days is “built to last”.
In 2025, I’m going to be focusing my business reading on a handful of experts that I believe stand the test of time.
The top of my list is Peter Drucker.
Why Drucker? Why should we listen to an old white immigrant guy who died in 2005?
The Arc of Professionalized Management – He wrote about business strategy and leadership effectiveness from the early 1930s through the 2000’s, a remarkable span in the history of the global economy. He had a front row seat as the American economy became the most powerful economic engine in the world and was in the board rooms (and on the shop floor) as management professionalized and became thing to study.
The journalistic skepticism – Although he was a lawyer and a historian, he came to his work with the eyes and critical perspective of a journalist. He sought out the stories, dug into the truth, and came out with a compelling narrative based on facts and his own insight.
Supremely good communicator – He wrote so much and so eloquently that he made the inner workings of General Motors interesting. The writing today – judged by our modern standards – is a little academic, perhaps a little stilted, but the insights and narrative deliver incredibly important points. In many ways, he brought “management” as subject to the masses, giving main street access to the best of what was happening in leading organizations.
A visionary guide to leading through transformations – He saw what was coming before others, and translated the future for the present. He described the modern corporate conglomerate before it was a thing. He coined the term knowledge worker. He articulated the impending changes in American culture as the economy moved from agriculture and manufacturing to a services-based organization. He was an advocate for technology as a way to unlock better results and create a more meaningful workplace. More importantly, he shared actionable, practical ways to be a better leader and manager while the transformations were underway.
Hugely influential to generations – Because he wrote for so long and covered so many facets of business management, multiple generations of leaders were shaped by his thinking. Corporate culture is still showing some signs of his teachings, for the better, mostly.
Management as Liberal Arts – He saw management as one of the Liberal Arts, a pathway for leaders to continue their development as humans. More importantly, he designed programs to help leaders and executives apply a “Liberal Arts” approach, arguing management effectiveness comes from critical analysis, informed by a cross-domain perspective, based in core of history, literature, arts and philosophy.
Exemplar – I see him as a model for how we can all continue to grow as humans and as leaders, evolving our thinking and our work as we move through the different phases of his career. He never stopped being curious, never slowed down his thinking and was always optimistic about what the future held.
Drucker is one of those “classic” thinkers that all business people should have on their bookshelf. With 39 books (more?) and countless essays and academic papers, there’s something for everyone and for just about every situation.
In a time when everything seems to be changing around us, there are too many “real time” experts with an opinion to share. We need the wisdom of those who have gone before us, and we can learn from history through their perspective.
For business leaders today, thinkers like Drucker are valuable for their ideas on how to make the most of transformation while becoming better leaders and managers at the same time. The podcasts and Youtube videos can be energizing, but when we need insights with integrity, we should be grateful we’ve got a large body of Drucker’s work to turn to.